From Cinderella to Carrie Bradshaw, every girl knows the thrill of new shoes is as good as falling in love. Louboutins or Havaianas? Bay shoe lovers come out of the closet with shoes ready to strut all terrains - from bush to beach to Bayfair, finds Annemarie Quill
'Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.' Fashion icon Marilyn Monroe nailed the mythical status of a great pair of shoes. More than just an accessory, shoes have the power to make you feel confident, taller and thinner. Ever since Imelda Marcos, the world has been on shoe watch. In Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw not only got her man after years of heartbreak, but a shoe closet the size of a bedroom.
Inspired by the scene, a New York businessman hired the movie's set designer to replicate the closet for his wife's huge shoe collection.
The Global Financial Crisis might have knocked our socks off, but not our shoes. Late last year Shoe Galleries opened in London's Selfridges as the world's biggest shoe department, stocking 55,000 shoes across a vast 3252m2.
Shoes are higher and more outrageous than ever before. Pregnancy didn't stop Victoria Beckham donning sky-high Christian Louboutins. At the Cannes film festival, model du jour Anja Rubik had diamonds on the soles of her shoes, stepping out in £125,000 (NZ$240,584) pink satin sandals. As for Lady Gaga - her gravity-defying footwear reminds us that shoes are not just accessories, but works of art.
Here in New Zealand, even for the average woman, 50 pairs plus and daring styles are becoming the norm. indulge steps out with three local shoe-aholics.
Miranda Cobb - Owner Evolution Clothing
I own about 65 pairs of shoes, and I usually work my outfit around the shoes. I have always loved shoes. When I was 17 I saved for ages for an amazing pair of boots from WildPair. They were $600!
The shoes I am most found in at the moment are leopard print wooden clog heels. I love winter fashion for all the amazing boots and shoe boots but I am also addicted to strappy sandals and wedges in summer.
I cannot wait for our summer collection and have my eye on a totally insane pair from sevendeadlysins. I am already planning outfits around them. I think wedges and chunky heels will last throughout summer, and we will still see wedges and ankle booties next winter.
The highest heel I own is about 10-12cm but they are deceiving as they have a huge platform so they're actually quite comfy. I also have a trusty pair of gumboots that come out every winter when I watch my son play soccer. But I do draw the line at crocs!
For me, the perfect capsule footwear collection would be a classic black stiletto, a flat ankle boot, a leather knee-high boot, white canvas shoe, strappy sandal, a pair of jandals and anything with a fun animal print.
Favourite shoes? Christian Louboutin. Timeless style.
Kelly Barriball - Owner of online vintage store
I begged my mum for a pair of pink jellies when I was five. My style has changed a bit since those coveted jellies but I still know exactly what I want when it comes to shoes. I start with my shoes when getting dressed and work my way up.
I like to wear heels most days. I tend to wear black and almost always wear a wedge. I have about six pairs on high rotation including my favourite black Chaos & Harmony peep-toe wedges, a suede and leather pair of Saben Says wedge boots and a pair of suede ankle boots that I got for a steal.
My weekends are spent in one of two pairs of trusty Chuck Taylors. During the summer I live in Havaianas.
I am currently lusting over another pair of wedges, this time grey suede by Acne. I'm also hunting a pair of Cherry Doc Martens. I've recently seen a sneak peak of Chaos & Harmony's summer collection and have managed to decrease my wishlist down to just two pairs.
Chaos & Harmony have nailed creating beautiful, interesting but wearable shoes. They are so damn comfortable, regardless of the fact that some pairs have a heel of more than 5cm.
I have a handful of vintage favourites including a pair of flat black leather ankle boots that I have absolutely thrashed and two amazing pairs of heels that used to belong to my gran. She bought them in London during the 70s.
I'm always on the hunt for good vintage shoes for my online store. Sometimes it's just too hard to part with them so they "accidentally" end up in my wardrobe.
Rebecca Anderson - Shoe designer, Chaos and Harmony
Naturally being a shoe designer my wardrobe is vast. With just over 50 pairs I usually choose shoes before an outfit, but if I'm feeling inspired or I find a new piece of clothing, I will work around that. You should never treat shoes as an after-thought. They can make or break an outfit.
Most of the shoes I own are from Chaos & Harmony collections although I do have an affinity with sneakers. There's nothing too crazy in my shoe wardrobe, just amazing designs that make a statement.
High heels give length to your legs. The highest heel I would wear would be 10-11cm heel height. My favourite shoes at the moment are platforms - I am wearing a lot of the "Mishka" boots from our autumn/winter 2011 collection.
I also love the In the "Parlour" wedges, and our "Empire" boots, which is an easy little laceup ankle boot.
Detailed socks with ankle boots are so fun to wear. I recently purchased some cute socks with a frill on them from American Apparel, they work really well with our shoes.
While high heels are great, I do wear casual shoes too. I'm a Converse and Nike fan. I just stocked up on a bunch of sneakers while in the US recently.
Gumboots are a must for the parents' farm, and as we live at the Mount, jandals are a no-brainer.
Trends for spring/summer show that platforms are still strong. Flatforms are the latest progression in statement shoes, so easy to wear and give you great height. Ankle boots will last through to next winter with lots of different heel heights. We will also see mid-calf boots too, and a few points starting to trickle in.
For me, the perfect capsule footwear collection would be a range of heights of heels, both mid and high ankle boots with a touch of colour. It would have to include some lavender Chuck Taylor high tops ( I have some and I love them); plus our new "Betty" shoes in tan from our summer collection coming in August, and a pair of "Stella" velvet heeled sandals from our winter collection.
My favourite shoe designer is Camilla Skovgaard - her shoes are amazing. The detail is precise and distinct. In terms of my shoe icons, Taylor Tomasi Hill (accessories editor at Marie Claire) has great style and amazing shoes. She has a pair of Studded Kicks by Christian Louboutin.
I don't have to hide my shoe purchases from my hubby as he loves shoes as much as I do. We have a mutual shoe understanding.
Photo: Miranda Cobb and her shoe collection - by Claire Fraser.
They were keynote speakers at this year's Business Women’s Network Speaker Series.
